Karate is NOT Special

"Karate" is a silly thing, a silly word, and a silly way of life. I remember going to an airport to attend a big Karate event and being greeted by a guy that bowed to us... He was not Japanese and I felt a bit silly about the whole thing, we can just shake hands or fist bump, that is fine. 

We can bow in the Dojo, that is proper, unless we are in Japan where it is not only socially acceptable, but part of the social make-up of the country. When in Rome. 

Will Karate teach a person how to calculate a formula or invent some grand thing? No. Karate does not have all the answers, not all the answers can be found on that floor and, no, Sensei is not all-knowing and full of wisdom. 

Karate, or any type of training that requires effort for that matter, will provide ways in which resilience can be cultivated and taken from the floor into all other aspects of life, but one does have to put in the work. 

You can get this from lifting weights, a good hike, rock climbing, dance lessons, it does not necessarily need to be from this thing with which many have come to identify as a key element of their persona. 

Perhaps it makes them feel special? It certainly is an interesting and unique niche, or at least it used to be, although now it is viewed as something mostly for children and is often dropped as soon as the child hits a certain age and finds something else. 

"Karate" is a very silly thing indeed. It is certainly NOT who I am as a whole person, it is only a very small part of that and, perhaps, it gets far too much attention, far too much focus. 

There are many other aspects of life that are far more important. In my case, being a Father, being a Provider to my Family, a Leader at work, an Artist, a Friend, sometimes a Mentor, sometimes a Student, a Third Degree Knight of Columbus through the Church with a focus on helping others less fortunate. 

An example to my Children, which does not always work out. 

One does not need to put on a Karate Gi, bow, say things in Japanese, kick and punch air up and down a wood floor in order to work towards becoming who they are meant to be. 

Most challenges are thrown at us outside the Dojo, off the Floor, in a world where that training is not respected, where your title and your rank mean nothing, where people are going to disrespect you and try to tear you down, for real, in every way possible. 

So what is the point of all this? 

Karate is not special, it does not make a person special, it does not give a person any sort of special abilities or special insights. 

If you think you are special because of Karate I would say you need to drop it and find something else to do. 

I have met great people in Karate circles and I have also met people that were truly just assholes in Karate circles. What does Karate have to do with it? Nothing, they just happened to train Karate. 

The people that were great seemed to realize this. The people that were assholes let it go to their heads as though it reserved for them some place on high and everyone else was beneath them.

Then there are those who grasp to Karate as a special thing because they are not happy with their lives, however, I feel like those assholes with inflated egos also fall into this category, but they try to put on a good show.

There are people truly worthy of respect that may happen to be skilled at Karate and should be respected for sharing their time and knowledge, as well as for the effort put in to gaining the knowledge they are willing to share. 

The relationships, the bonds that are formed, those are special, Karate is not.